But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Without, х chooris (G5565)] - 'apart from faith:' if one be destitute of faith (cf. Romans 14:23).
To please. Translate, as Alford х euaresteesai (G2100), the aorist], 'It is impossible to please God at all' (Romans 8:8). 'Works done before the grace of Christ are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; yea, rather, for that they are not done as God hath willed them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin' (Article XIII., 'Book of Common Prayer'). Works not rooted in God are splendid sins (Augustine).
He that cometh to God - as a worshipper (Hebrews 7:19).
Must believe - once for all х pisteusai (G4100), Greek aorist].
That he is - IS: the self-existing Yahweh (contrasted with all so-called gods, Galatians 4:8), the source of all being, though he sees Him not (Hebrews 11:1), being "invisible" (Hebrews 11:27). So Enoch: this implies that he had not been favoured with visible appearances of God; yet he believed in God's being and moral government, as the Rewarder of His diligent worshippers, in oppositionto antediluvian scepticism. Also Moses was not so favoured before he left Egypt the first time (Hebrews 11:27); still he believed.
And ... is - a different Greek verb from "is" х ginetai (G1096): proves to be].
Rewarder - awarder of reward. So God proved to be to Enoch. The reward is God Himself diligently 'sought' and "walked with" in partial communion here, fully enjoyed hereafter. Compare Genesis 15:1.
Of them - and them only.
Diligently seek, х ekzeetousin (G1567)] 'seek out' God. Compare "seek early" (Proverbs 3:17). Not only "ask" and "seek," but "knock," Matthew 7:7: cf. Matthew 11:12; Luke 13:24, "strive" [agoonizesthee], as in an agony of contest.